Travel Delays on I-80?

Thecatman · Post by **Thecatman** » Thu Aug 06, 2009 2:26 am

Absolut Jeenyus wrote:If you were coming from the bay area couldn't you just take the 50 out of Sacramento to Carson and avoid going furture south by having to take the 120, 99, and 88?

Hwy 99 is a N/S hwy and won't get you into Nevada. For those coming out of Stockton or Lodi areas, 88 is the shortest route as far as distance is concerned but takes you over 9,000ft. Me personally, I would take 88 as opposed to 50 for the simple reason is the traffic going past the lake from Meyers to Zephyr Cove and the imortal manner in which people drive down Sponner Summit. They think theye're on a NASCAR road course.

Absolut Jeenyus · Post by **Absolut Jeenyus** » Thu Aug 06, 2009 5:38 am

Right but the entire point of the detours was to avoid a 2 hour delay by sitting in traffic on the slender lanes on the 80... From my calculations, taking the 50 over the 88 cuts down on at least 45 minutes to an hour... Also depending on if you bypass Reno from Carson and drive straight on the 50 to the 95 up to Wadsworth/Fernley area and then straight on up the 447 to the playa, could cut down on even 15-30 minutes more too. But most people (including myself) like to hit up Reno for last minute shit. Even still as far as I know, coming from the bay area, taking the 50 is significantly less time consuming than the 88. I could be wrong I don't know... But I'm just speaking my own experience. If people have better routes I am all for it...

Post by **AntiM** » Thu Aug 06, 2009 6:28 am

trenton wrote:ok ok bay area people beatup your rig suffer in traffic and be miserable on your way . Hwy 88 is THE route I do this way at least 2 to 3 times a month. Why now stop at Red Lake ,Caples lake Kirkwood lake , Carson River ECT Did i mention ECT If I'm wrong Beat me! Ive done this for the last 25 summers(my home town is fallon) Ask any hay truck driver no scales few cops good scenes good smooth road. Would I lie to you? if you live in or off of 80 in the bay area cut over on 120(manteca) and take 99 for a few miles to 88 and wow drops you in Carson City and 3 hrs towing and you are there with NO drama

Hay trucks? They're smaller, they can use that route.

ygmir · Post by **ygmir** » Thu Aug 06, 2009 6:45 am

my thinking is that, all the alternates, are, significantly slower than 80, with no construction.

80, with construction, I'd bet, makes them about equal.

all the others are either fairly steep and/or windy 2 lane roads, and/or a long route through more small towns and such.

I'd bet specific, daily traffic patterns will determine which is faster, for now.

consider, for some, that they are pulling large, at times overloaded trailers and rigs they may not drive a lot, and, my money is still on 80.

yup, there are some miles of challenging driving, narrow lanes or whatever.
But, if taken with caution, you should be fine, I'd think.

Of course, the above is just my opinion, and, your results may vary......

trenton · Post by **trenton** » Thu Aug 06, 2009 1:26 pm

Your right AntiM but hay trucks are also overloaded! But to get back on point grocery stores and home depot are right across the street from each other in as the locals call it Ferntucky (Fernley Nv) The store for edibles and HD for masks hardware ect. And once more It IS the most beautiful drive across the sierras Have some fun on our journeys

Absolut Jeenyus · Post by **Absolut Jeenyus** » Thu Aug 06, 2009 2:05 pm

Well it would be cool if anyone who takes the alternate routes times their drive and comes back here after the event to compare so we can see which one is actually more efficient. Seeing as how this construction is going to be happening for a long time. I might just take the 50 myself. Its a beautiful drive.

FrankA · Post by **FrankA** » Thu Aug 06, 2009 6:53 pm

50 does look like a nice drive. Through a national forest and by a lake...That my be the route I take. Does anyone know how long the drive is from sac to brc on 50?

ygmir · Post by **ygmir** » Thu Aug 06, 2009 8:38 pm

I bet google maps, or one of the others, could come darn close to telling you.......

LostinReno · Post by **LostinReno** » Thu Aug 06, 2009 8:52 pm

FrankA wrote:50 does look like a nice drive. Through a national forest and by a lake...That my be the route I take. Does anyone know how long the drive is from sac to brc on 50?

50 is a beautiful route however there are length restrictions, I'm not too sure what they are (semi's are prohibited) and there is one awesome S turn between Kyburz and South Lake that is pretty tight in a regular car. It's about 1500' straight up on one side and several hundred feet straight down on the other, but one fuck of a view of the lake!

Thecatman · Post by **Thecatman** » Thu Aug 13, 2009 8:35 pm

Ther are supposed to be some night and early morning mandatory detours for E/B traffic in the Colfax area, usually being lifted by 7 or 8 a.m.

StevenGoodman · Post by **StevenGoodman** » Thu Aug 13, 2009 11:08 pm

trenton wrote:Your right AntiM but hay trucks are also overloaded! But to get back on point grocery stores and home depot are right across the street from each other in as the locals call it Ferntucky (Fernley Nv) The store for edibles and HD for masks hardware ect. And once more It IS the most beautiful drive across the sierras Have some fun on our journeys

I have always had a preference for Hwy 4; but it isn't quick!

Martini Steve

Oldguy · Post by **Oldguy** » Fri Aug 14, 2009 5:28 pm

Travel time from Sacramento to Carson City via 50 is about 3 hours. Reno is about an hour north of Carson City.
Gerlach is about 2 hours northeast of Reno.

So roughly 6 hours from Sacramento to Blackrock City via 50. Your mileage and speed may vary.

Have a nice day!

ibdave · Post by **ibdave** » Fri Aug 14, 2009 9:04 pm

From Modesto ( which is 75 miles south of Sac) Gelach is 310 miles and thats roughly 5 hours. Is your 6 hours because of the delays??

Oldguy · Post by **Oldguy** » Sat Aug 15, 2009 2:09 am

Yeah, traffic. Trucks are detoured thru I80, so longhaulers will take south lake tahoe route from sactown. Routine weekend traffic heavy on friday eastbound, heavy on sunday afternoon westbound. All those central california gamblers don't want to wait around on I80. They've got to go to work on Monday.

I like to take my time and drive without stress. I shift down and wind it up rather than lug it down in high gear. I drive a Geo Metro pulling a trailer. I don't need any self imposed time pressure. But I'm taking the Hiway 70 route thru Feather River Canyon because I live near Oroville. I take my time, I'm an oldguy after all.

PavementBlues · Post by **PavementBlues** » Mon Aug 17, 2009 9:51 pm

LostinReno wrote:
Weebdog wrote:Are there 10' lanes on I-80 west bound also or are they just in the east bound direction?
Both directions, the east bound ones are scarier.

Actually, the lanes are technically 9 foot max at the luge, but I know professional drivers that have taken 9' 4" diesel-pushers through, albeit VERY carefully. At that point you have almost no clearance. Also, there is a spot right before the luge where a sign says "Trucks use right lane". If you're carrying a wide load, follow the trucks and you can save yourself a lot of hassle.

LostinReno wrote:
FrankA wrote:50 does look like a nice drive. Through a national forest and by a lake...That my be the route I take. Does anyone know how long the drive is from sac to brc on 50?
50 is a beautiful route however there are length restrictions, I'm not too sure what they are (semi's are prohibited) and there is one awesome S turn between Kyburz and South Lake that is pretty tight in a regular car. It's about 1500' straight up on one side and several hundred feet straight down on the other, but one fuck of a view of the lake!

Yeah, 50 is incredible. I took that on my motorcycle when I was going to Auburn from San Diego in June (up 395 to Carson City and then down)...gorgeous, but the turns slow you down a LOT. In short, the views are great, but you won't be able to see them because you'll be too damn busy trying not to fall off the side of a mountain.

LostinReno · Post by **LostinReno** » Tue Aug 18, 2009 12:55 pm

Well any chances of I-80 improving before BM are pretty much nil. Granite's concrete drivers went on strike yesterday. They want to cut thier pay by $8 an hour.

silly unions

ygmir · Post by **ygmir** » Tue Aug 18, 2009 4:28 pm

I may be making a pre-run to Empire and back on Monday over I-80 with a trailer and MV.....

I'll report back conditions and such.........

carry on........

camp-photon · Post by **camp-photon** » Thu Aug 20, 2009 2:57 pm

http://www.getacross80.com/travel_info.php

From what I can see they skip all weekends.

Can anyone confirm this?

LostinReno · Post by **LostinReno** » Thu Aug 20, 2009 3:05 pm

camp-photon wrote:http://www.getacross80.com/travel_info.php

From what I can see they skip all weekends.

Can anyone confirm this?

Cal Trans lies

This is the part you need to be concerned with the most (see below), it is the "luge" we've all been referring to, on top of this lovely mess, Granite Construction is doing the concrete work and all of thier drivers went on strike Monday (hmmm, Cal Trans failed to mention that one!) It basically means Cal Trans won't be there working (and I use that term loosely) but the road will still be in it's lugey goodness state. Anyhoo..... this is the ugly part...that I know about. I haven't been past Truckee all summer, not too sure what's on the other side?
Interstate 80 (Nevada County) from Boca to the Nevada State line: the Truckee River Canyon project.
August 16 - 22
On westbound Interstate 80 from Floriston to Truckee: Motorists can expect various westbound lane and ramp closures from midnight Sunday to 11:45 a.m. Saturday. A contractor is scheduled to do paving work.

August 16 - 22
On eastbound Interstate 80 from Truckee to Floriston: Motorists can expect various eastbound lane and ramp closures from midnight Sunday to 11:45 Saturday. A contractor is scheduled to do paving work.

July 27 â€“ August 26
On Interstate 80 at Farad: Motorists can expect a long-term closure of the Farad on and off-ramps. A contractor is scheduled to do miscellaneous construction work.

August 16 - 22
On Interstate 80 from Floriston to the Nevada State line: Motorists can expect 3 of the 4 lanes available from midnight Sunday to midnight Saturday. The lane availability is as follows:

EASTBOUND / 2 LANES AVAILABLE ON:

MONDAY - 3PM TO 7PM
TUESDAY THRU THURSDAY - 1PM TO 6PM
FRIDAY - 1PM TO 10PM
SATURDAY - 9AM TO 9PM

ONE EASTBOUND LANE AVAILABLE AT ALL OTHER TIMES

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Fri Aug 21, 2009 10:16 am

Even if they aren't there on the weekends or at night, if they've closed off parts of the highway for the duration, rather than just for the day, those detours will still be made. For instance, they might leave the equipment where it is, in the middle of a closed off lane, behind those temporary barriers.

virgo · Post by **virgo** » Sun Aug 23, 2009 10:29 pm

I live in Alta, which is between Colfax and Truckee and have to deal with this mess daily. They do stop on the weekends. The detour from Colfax isn't bad, but if you aren't familiar with the area it feels like you are in the boonies (you are!)
Just be patient, it hasn't been too bad going up and down, but I do hate the luge feeling especially when I have to drive next to a semi, that can be scary! just plan on a delay and hopefully you will be pleasantly surprised and will fly on in

doctrdev · Post by **doctrdev** » Tue Aug 25, 2009 12:39 am

Hey all,

I'm a 1st time burner from Los Angeles..

Has anyone tried taking the 14->395->50 , etc?

Is the 395 safe to drive at night for such a long distance??

Thanks!!

ibdave · Post by **ibdave** » Tue Aug 25, 2009 5:35 am

ygmir wrote:I may be making a pre-run to Empire and back on Monday over I-80 with a trailer and MV.....

I'll report back conditions and such.........

carry on........

Well?????

ygmir · Post by **ygmir** » Tue Aug 25, 2009 7:21 am

just back last night.....

so:

the west side, west bound:

, from Hwy 20 to Donner summit, there are some restrictions, but, two lanes, albeit narrow at times.

off and on construction but passable through Truckee, to the bottom of the hill below the scales....where the "luge" begins.........
the lanes seem about 10 feet wide, but, single.

pulling the trailer (I wasn't driving), the challenge was mostly keeping the trailer from "fishtailing" as the surface of the road at times is quite un-even. Our trailer looked like it "kissed" one of the concrete dividers with a tire, it was scuffed.

"The Luge" is a few miles, maybe 3 or so?
Suggestion: take it slow here, and, accept "fingers" as a compliment to your safe driving skills.

after that, smooth sailing all the way to BRC. New pavement on sections of 447, some graded shoulders, although mostly still steep and soft......

good playa.

east bound from BRC:

good to Verdi on I-80, then, back to the "luge".....the eastbound lanes are wider, though.

then, good to Donner lake.

it narrows to two lanes at the bottom, so, although narrow, not to bad.

But, it goes to 1 lane about the Donner off-ramp. and, super slow vehicles,so, be ready.......and, if your vehicle tends to overheat on hard pulls, realize there is nowhere to pull over on this section, or, very few spots, at best.

two lanes at Donner summit and fine on down to hwy 20

sorry, I didn't go through Colfax to see those conditions.

Lord Of Ruin · Post by **Lord Of Ruin** » Tue Aug 25, 2009 9:55 am

[quote="doctrdev"]Hey all,

I'm a 1st time burner from Los Angeles..

Has anyone tried taking the 14->395->50 , etc?

Is the 395 safe to drive at night for such a long distance??

Thanks!![/quote]

Doc

I drive up from Orange County. We're regular Mammoth drivers, so I love that route.

I took that route in 2007...I personally like it a lot better. More interesting, especially once you get midway on 395. After Mammoth you'll see lots of places around Mono lake where you go.."Why haven't we ever come up here for a vacation?!"

As always, once you get into the backside of the Sierra, you have to pay attention. Was easy in an SUV...but I've never towed over it. No tougher than the I80 with construction for towing I'd say.

LoR

LostinReno · Post by **LostinReno** » Tue Aug 25, 2009 12:23 pm

Doctrdev, you will be fine coming up 395, we've pulled a 52' trailer/semi up and down it tons of times, eazy-peazy at night, just beware of the usual (it is mostly 2 lane, animals etc.) Like LoR said, hopefully you will near Mono Lake while it's still light out, it's absolutely gorgeous through there!

viajera80 · Post by **viajera80** » Wed Aug 26, 2009 9:34 am

395 north and south is one of my all-time favorite drives. The scenery is fantastic and it drops you right into Carson City. From there, don't go on 50, just stay on 395 into Reno and then get onto 80 East.

When going through Carson, stop at Red's Old 395 for excellent food and beer and wave to me in Washoe Valley.

No matter what construction is going on on 80 in California, it always sucks.

doctrdev · Post by **doctrdev** » Wed Aug 26, 2009 9:45 am

THANKS for the info this is going to make my drive SO much easier!

oleg8888 · Post by **oleg8888** » Wed Aug 26, 2009 9:47 am

ygmir wrote:just back last night.....

so:
..............................................

good playa.

..................................

That's all I could read

whohat · Post by **whohat** » Sat Aug 29, 2009 2:00 pm

Taken from getacross80.com
August 30 â€“ September 5

On eastbound Interstate 80 from Colfax to Secret Town Road: Motorists can expect the following:
Sunday, August 30: from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m.: a full eastbound closure
Monday, August 31: from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m.: a full eastbound closure
Tuesday, September 1: from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m.: the eastbound #2 closed
Wednesday, September 2: from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m.: the eastbound #2 closed
Thursday, September 3: from 8 p.m. to 7 a.m.: the eastbound #2 closed
Friday, September 4: no traffic interfering work scheduled
Saturday, September 5: no traffic interfering work scheduled

I assume there is a detour but it sounds like it's a good idea to pass this section before 9pm if you're driving up tomorrow night.

Travel Delays on I-80?

395?

Re: 395?